“At 9:35 a.m. we received a distress call over the radio from a 19-foot recreational boat,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Brian McClung, a Sector New York search and rescue controller. “The owner of the vessel told us their location and that they were taking on water. They happened to be near Station Sandy Hook so they were dispatched immediately.”

“When we got there a Good Samaritan had already pulled three of the four individuals out of the water,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Wayne Stark, coxswain of the 25-foot rescue boat. “The vessel was submerged to the point where just the superstructure was out of the water. The Good Samaritan was waving his arms and we saw another individual in the water with a radio in his hands talking to the station. We pulled him out of the water and then transferred the other three from the Good Samaritans boat to our own.”

All of the rescued individuals were brought to Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook where emergency medical personnel were waiting. Heimrich was brought to Riverview Hospital in Red Bank, N.J. for treatment of hypothermia.

It is unknown why the vessel sank, all individuals were wearing life jackets.

The semi-submerged vessel was taken to Atlantic Highlands Marina by Sea Tow.

The water temperature was 52 degrees and seas were three feet.

The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to have the proper safety equipment onboard and always wear a life jacket.